I noticed that we always say "write in a journal" instead of simply "write a journal." Why is this?
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Provide more context. No one 'writes' a journal as such. You only 'write' something that gets published 'in' a journal.– KrisCommented Jul 11, 2014 at 5:07
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@Kris I write a journal, it is a more rigorous/expansive kind of on-going diary. It's never going to get published!– Araucaria - HimCommented Jul 12, 2014 at 19:39
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2 Answers
This may be because typically one does not write the whole journal in one sitting. They normally write entries in the journal, and those entries can continue to be written even if the original medium is used up (i.e. in another notebook) Not sure if that makes any sense/ is off topic
Though I have always used and heard the phrase 'Write a journal' only, I believe 'Write in a journal' can be used typically when you are going to write something in your journal. Eg : 'I am going to write this in my journal'.
But when you state that as a hobby or a thing which you do daily then you will say - "I write a journal".
answered Jul 11, 2014 at 5:35
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In "I write journal" do you mean journal to be an adverb meaning daily? I've never heard it used like that, and a reasonable online dictionary doesn't document it either.– Andrew Leach ♦Commented Jul 11, 2014 at 6:54
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@High Performance Mark : thanks, missed the article in a rush. Commented Jul 11, 2014 at 11:49